FDA Purging Kratom Products

FDA oversees destruction and recall of kratom products; and reiterates its concerns on risks associated with this opioid

(HealthDay News) -- A number of kratom-containing dietary supplements are being recalled and destroyed by the manufacturer, the US Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday.

Missouri-based Divinity Products Distribution has promised to recall and destroy kratom-containing products sold across the United States under the brand names Botany Bay, Enhance Your Life, and Divinity, the FDA said Wednesday. The agency added that the company has agreed to stop selling all products containing kratom.

The FDA said it wants all companies making similar products to take them off the market, and urged all consumers who have kratom-containing products to stop using them and throw them away.

"The extensive scientific data we've evaluated about kratom provides conclusive evidence that compounds contained in kratom are opioids and are expected to have similar addictive effects as well as risks of abuse, overdose and, in some cases, death," FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said in a statement. "At the same time, there's no evidence to indicate that kratom is safe or effective for any medical use."